By Justin Hood
The Florida State softball team has had its fair share of adversity throughout the 2025 season. A shooting in the student union where two people were killed on April 17 wasn’t the type of adversity this team was mentally prepared for.
The Seminoles were scheduled to begin their weekend series against Georgia Tech on April 18. But after the tragic events that unfolded, the series was cancelled. The weekend series against the Yellow Jackets would have been the last home regular season series for the graduating seniors.
Nine seniors missed out on that opportunity, but after a weekend series against Louisville the softball team returned to Tallahassee to have a senior showcase event on Wednesday.
The event featured a fielding contest, pitching contest, home run derby and a race. The showcase was a celebration and a competition for the softball team at JoAnne Graf Field.
The field was painted with the numbers of the graduating seniors who were honored on the field as Hallie Wacaser, Jahni Kerr, Julia Apsel, Annie Potter, Michaela Edenfield, Amaya Ross, Krystina Hartley, Annabelle Widra and Katie Dack were accompanied by family members as they made their way to their numbers on the field.
The first competition was the infield challenge, where Potter and Hartley took turns fielding ground balls and throwing them towards a dummy at home plate that coach Lonni Alameda affectionately refers to as “Big Betty.” The competition also featured two fans and two members of the Marching Chiefs, who did their best to do the same as Potter and Hartley. For every time a fielder hit Big Betty, a point was added. The two teams were led by Potter on one team and Hartley on the other. At the end of the event, it was tied at 19, but the two fans and Marching Chiefs held their own in generating points. This was a very lighthearted and fun event that the fans really enjoyed.
The second challenge featured pitchers Widra and Apsel against each other as they played a game of tick-tack-toe with the strike zone. The digital strike zone was used to gather the markings on the board and after a back-and-forth between the two pitchers, Apsel came out victorious.
The home run derby was by far the most enjoyable event on the night. Sluggers Wacaser, Ross, Dack and Edenfield competed against each other, while fans and Marching Chiefs also got their turn to see who could get a home run at Joanne Graf Field. While no fan or Marching Chief came close to leaving the ballpark, it was a fun opportunity for those to step up to the plate.
For the players competing, it was a different story. The first round saw Dack hit towering shot after shot as she got into a groove and finished with eight home runs. Wacaser wasn’t able to get one to leave the park, while Edenfield only managed two home runs. Ross tacked on four home runs to vault her into the final round against Dack. Ross tried to compete, but Dack was too much as she slugged nine in the final round to win the competition.
The final event was a foot race between Ross and a member of the Marching Chiefs. To throw a little curveball in the event, the softball team brought out Frankie “Red Lightning” Grizzle-Malgrat to compete with the two runners. Red Lightning is the equipment manager for the softball team and Florida State fan favorite. This was intense coming down the stretch as Ross and the Marching Chiefs member were neck-and-neck as they rounded the final turn. It was close, but Ross inched by at the last second to take the event.
This concluded the skills competition and was followed by the team singing the FSU fight song. The fans yelled the fight song with emotion, and you could feel the positive energy radiating through the crowd.
What happened next was a surprise to everyone. Jen Schroeder walked out on the field with a golden ticket in her hand as she approached the team on the field. Gathered together, the team looked to the video board for a commercial for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). The golden ticket itself doesn’t include a trip to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but an opportunity to play in the fast-growing softball league. Schroeder only had one ticket in her hand and after giving a background on the AUSL, it was time to announce who would get the last ticket.
It was Edenfield who secured the final ticket.
The crowd cheered. The team mobbed Edenfield, who was crying tears of joy. This truly was a special moment, and the fans began to chant Edenfield’s loving nickname, “Area 51.”
“It really did surprise me,” Edenfield said. “I’m a part of a really big senior class and all of the girls are so good, and they put the time and effort in every day, so truly to hear my name called and for them to surround me with hugs and smiles just improves the family piece and just how much this place means to me.”
This was one of many cherished moments that Edenfield has had in her career. As the talented senior is on the precipice of graduating, reflecting on her favorite moment while at FSU was hard to pinpoint.
“I’ve got a lot of good ones, Edenfield said. “I mean, flexing out in the middle of football was pretty entertaining and I think everyone likes to highlight that one.”
Edenfield was all smiles in her postgame interview. But she was brought to tears multiple times as she talked about her family, who has been a big source of inspiration.
This truly was a special night for the softball team, but now that’s over and the team must focus on what lies ahead.
The Seminoles will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to take on No. 15 Virginia Tech in what is shaping up to be a primetime ACC matchup as the series begins Friday at 6 p.m. With one win, FSU would become ACC regular season champions and a No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament.
The Florida State softball team has had its fair share of adversity throughout the 2025 season. A shooting in the student union where two people were killed on April 17 wasn’t the type of adversity this team was mentally prepared for.
The Seminoles were scheduled to begin their weekend series against Georgia Tech on April 18. But after the tragic events that unfolded, the series was cancelled. The weekend series against the Yellow Jackets would have been the last home regular season series for the graduating seniors.
Nine seniors missed out on that opportunity, but after a weekend series against Louisville the softball team returned to Tallahassee to have a senior showcase event on Wednesday.
The event featured a fielding contest, pitching contest, home run derby and a race. The showcase was a celebration and a competition for the softball team at JoAnne Graf Field.
The field was painted with the numbers of the graduating seniors who were honored on the field as Hallie Wacaser, Jahni Kerr, Julia Apsel, Annie Potter, Michaela Edenfield, Amaya Ross, Krystina Hartley, Annabelle Widra and Katie Dack were accompanied by family members as they made their way to their numbers on the field.
The first competition was the infield challenge, where Potter and Hartley took turns fielding ground balls and throwing them towards a dummy at home plate that coach Lonni Alameda affectionately refers to as “Big Betty.” The competition also featured two fans and two members of the Marching Chiefs, who did their best to do the same as Potter and Hartley. For every time a fielder hit Big Betty, a point was added. The two teams were led by Potter on one team and Hartley on the other. At the end of the event, it was tied at 19, but the two fans and Marching Chiefs held their own in generating points. This was a very lighthearted and fun event that the fans really enjoyed.
The second challenge featured pitchers Widra and Apsel against each other as they played a game of tick-tack-toe with the strike zone. The digital strike zone was used to gather the markings on the board and after a back-and-forth between the two pitchers, Apsel came out victorious.
The home run derby was by far the most enjoyable event on the night. Sluggers Wacaser, Ross, Dack and Edenfield competed against each other, while fans and Marching Chiefs also got their turn to see who could get a home run at Joanne Graf Field. While no fan or Marching Chief came close to leaving the ballpark, it was a fun opportunity for those to step up to the plate.
For the players competing, it was a different story. The first round saw Dack hit towering shot after shot as she got into a groove and finished with eight home runs. Wacaser wasn’t able to get one to leave the park, while Edenfield only managed two home runs. Ross tacked on four home runs to vault her into the final round against Dack. Ross tried to compete, but Dack was too much as she slugged nine in the final round to win the competition.
The final event was a foot race between Ross and a member of the Marching Chiefs. To throw a little curveball in the event, the softball team brought out Frankie “Red Lightning” Grizzle-Malgrat to compete with the two runners. Red Lightning is the equipment manager for the softball team and Florida State fan favorite. This was intense coming down the stretch as Ross and the Marching Chiefs member were neck-and-neck as they rounded the final turn. It was close, but Ross inched by at the last second to take the event.
This concluded the skills competition and was followed by the team singing the FSU fight song. The fans yelled the fight song with emotion, and you could feel the positive energy radiating through the crowd.
What happened next was a surprise to everyone. Jen Schroeder walked out on the field with a golden ticket in her hand as she approached the team on the field. Gathered together, the team looked to the video board for a commercial for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). The golden ticket itself doesn’t include a trip to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but an opportunity to play in the fast-growing softball league. Schroeder only had one ticket in her hand and after giving a background on the AUSL, it was time to announce who would get the last ticket.
It was Edenfield who secured the final ticket.
The crowd cheered. The team mobbed Edenfield, who was crying tears of joy. This truly was a special moment, and the fans began to chant Edenfield’s loving nickname, “Area 51.”
“It really did surprise me,” Edenfield said. “I’m a part of a really big senior class and all of the girls are so good, and they put the time and effort in every day, so truly to hear my name called and for them to surround me with hugs and smiles just improves the family piece and just how much this place means to me.”
This was one of many cherished moments that Edenfield has had in her career. As the talented senior is on the precipice of graduating, reflecting on her favorite moment while at FSU was hard to pinpoint.
“I’ve got a lot of good ones, Edenfield said. “I mean, flexing out in the middle of football was pretty entertaining and I think everyone likes to highlight that one.”
Edenfield was all smiles in her postgame interview. But she was brought to tears multiple times as she talked about her family, who has been a big source of inspiration.
This truly was a special night for the softball team, but now that’s over and the team must focus on what lies ahead.
The Seminoles will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to take on No. 15 Virginia Tech in what is shaping up to be a primetime ACC matchup as the series begins Friday at 6 p.m. With one win, FSU would become ACC regular season champions and a No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament.
